Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland has reportedly rejected an offer from Manchester City in the hope of signing La Liga giants Real Madrid.
According to AS, Manchester City have faced a major setback in their pursuit of Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland, who has rejected the Premier League champions in the hope of joining Real Madrid.
Haaland is the most in-demand player in the transfer market, heading into the summer transfer window later this year. The 21-year-old has enjoyed a prolific spell at Borussia Dortmund since joining the club from Red Bull Salzburg in January 2020. Having established himself as one of the most potent goalscorers in the game, Haaland is attracting interest from all elite clubs ahead of the summer.
Manchester City have emerged as one of Haaland’s most ardent suitors as manager Pep Guardiola wishes to sign a world-class striker to replace Sergio Aguero, who left the Cityzens in the summer of last year. While the reigning champions of England have been getting by just fine without a recognised striker, the manager is keen on adding a top-quality marksman to his roster before the next term begins.
Reports have indicated that Manchester City already have a deal in place to sign Haaland, who is also a transfer target for Real Madrid. As per the report, the Cityzens have made a massive contract offer worth €600,000 per week for the Norwegian international, which would take his net annual salary to around €27-28 million.
?| Erling Haaland has rejected a BIG offer from Manchester City, as he's still waiting for Real Madrid to make an offer. @diarioas [?] pic.twitter.com/YkJrxJqFcq
— Blancos Central (@BlancosCentral) March 25, 2022
However, Haaland has reportedly turned down the offer from Manchester City as he is holding out for a move to Real Madrid. Even though his father, Alf-Inge Haaland, and his agent, Mino Raiola, are pressuring the 21-year-old to choose Pep Guardiola’s side, the Borussia Dortmund hitman has his heart set on a switch to Real Madrid.
Real Madrid are already set to sign PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe on a free transfer but wish to add Haaland to their ranks as well, to create a Galactico strikeforce that can take them to great heights for years to come. With both Luka Jovic and Mariano Diaz expected to leave, and Karim Benzema already aged 34, it makes sense for the Merengues to refresh their attacking options with Haaland and Mbappe.
And, it certainly bodes well for them that Haaland wants to move to the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer, which he has indicated by turning down a massive contract offer from Manchester City. However, whether they can generate the funds to sign the Norwegian remains to be seen, considering that the entire cost of the deal to land him can rise to €200 million.
An alternative option that Real Madrid would consider is to wait until 2023 to sign Haaland, as it would make it easier for them to come up with the capital while also making the decision to move on from Benzema easier. However, the striker wants to make the jump this summer itself.
With Barcelona out of the race, the competition is now between Real Madrid and Manchester City. And it remains to be seen where Haaland ends up before next season starts.
